


Eyes Wide Open

by Summerfall



Series: Of Serendipity and Stupidity [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, character study of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24768562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summerfall/pseuds/Summerfall
Summary: “Apathy is a monster, and I think you may have slain it.”In the aftermath of his abduction, Tony sees echoes of the past and searches for meaning.
Relationships: Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Of Serendipity and Stupidity [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753135
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Eyes Wide Open

“What do you mean ‘taken’?”

The drop of her heart into her stomach and the sudden buzz in her ear told Lucy exactly what it meant. She begs for clarification though, in the hope that she heard wrong, even if she knew Rhodey would never pull ranks to get her on the line while on her aid missions, let alone get something like this so wrong.

But Rhodey is patient with her, always so damn patient and she found herself holding onto the soothing sound of his voice like a lifeline, even as her world tilted on its axis.

“I’ll request for a replacement and be there as soon as I can,” she said, knowing the grievances she’ll receive over it.

“And do what?” Rhodey asked, not unkindly.

“Help! Do something. Anything!”

“Lucy, we’ve got the best people scouting for him. In person and through technology. I’m heading the team. You know you can do more where you are than coming back.”

Her breath was ragged even as she fought through the truth but she knew Rhodey was right.

“You trust me, right?”

“You’re playing dirty, Rhodes.”

A soft chuckle. “I’ll keep you updated. You’ll be the first to know if anything happens.”

“You get him back, Rhodey, you find him. Then we’ll kill him together.”

“Deal.”

~*~

Days bled into weeks, merging into months. Lucy stayed in Nairobi, where the work kept her grounded, reminding her that for many, grief and suffering are a constant companion. What was meant to be a camp set up for the displaced, became a makeshift trauma centre as violence broke out due to the post-election riots. Bullet and machete wounds and fractures caused by knife wounds overwhelmed the centre, which lacked the usual Ministry of Health staff due to the roadblocks. In the face of the chaos around her, it was hard to indulge in self-pity.

As the violence wound down, the post-operative work grew as did the number of displaced people. But a new normal was being established and a routine took over the panic and terror. In the times that Lucy was able to check her email, she found regular updates from Rhodey, even if only a few short words. Pepper maintained her optimism, even when forced, keeping SI going in anticipation of its CEO’s return. So Lucy dutifully played her part, and on the days when she was woken by the vociferous birds or the humidity and despair turned its head, she’d throw on her sneakers and pound the earth until her lungs burned and the coming dawn cast its glow on her dusty skin.

So when the call came from Rhodey that Tony had been found, the relief was so intense she found herself sliding to the floor. The needs for the IDP camp had changed, with teams providing primary health care, establishing feeding centres, supplying clean water and installing sanitation facilities. With her presence no longer considered essential, her request to transfer back home was granted.

~*~

Tony was beyond exhausted, more so from the facade he had to put up than the non-stop publicity of his return. No one wanted to leave him alone - Rhodey had wanted to stay over (“What, shall we braid each other’s hair too?” Tony had smirked, exhaustion already bleeding into his words); Pepper dogged his every footstep and Happy loitered at every corner with an upside-down magazine.

He was beyond grateful for their presence, his lifeline in the whole ordeal and really. It was just a bit much. He wanted peace and quiet from those around him, and especially from his mind. He said as much in a burst of serious honesty and it was that more than anything that had everyone backing off. Except for Rhodey, who he had to promise he would call if he was greeted by an axe-wielding murderer.

JARVIS greeted him and god, did he miss him, even as he rattled off messages, statistics and the like.

He paused at the threshold of his bedroom - fresh, clean, pristine; Pepper had obviously got someone in to clean - and turned away to his workshop, where nothing appeared to be disturbed. Even his coffee mug remained where he last sat it down, ringed with coffee and god knows what else.

His bots were congregated near his couch but at his entrance, all three raced towards him, colliding into him with whirrs and beeps and swinging mechanical limbs. No, he was not tearing up.

“Hey, missed you guys too,” he said even as Dum-EE bumped his head, offering him his mug. “Not going to happen, buddy. I’m not gonna survive Afghanistan, only to die of bacterial poisoning. Imagine the headlines.” Dum-EE beeped in disappointment.

Tony made his way to the couch, picking his way in the dim light using muscle memory. He flopped onto the couch, only to yell in alarm as it attacked him with blankets and feet and -

“You scared the bejesus out of me!”

Tony was already on his feet, adrenaline pumping, arms up in defence, screwdriver at the ready. He blinked, how did that get there? A hand landed on his wrist, “Tony?”

Lucy’s face was one of concern and cautiousness. The screwdriver fell to the floor and was immediately retrieved by You.

Tony swallowed thickly, “Yeah, sorry, I -”

Lucy pulled him in for a hug that was both gentle and fierce. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Is he? The jury’s still out on that, but his shirt was suddenly damp and Lucy was shaking in his arms. He wrapped his arm tighter around her, “Luce -”

“I’m still going to kick your ass when the mushy part is over,”

Tony smiled, the feeling foreign on his face, “I’ll get Pepper to pen it into my schedule.”

~*~

_“Don’t waste your life, Stark.”_

In the weeks following his return from his capture, Pepper was not the only one keeping a worried eye on him; Yinsen followed his every move - in the background or in his periphery; always quiet and understated.

Tony wasn’t sure if his presence was meant to be his penance, his guilt overriding his sensibilities. He has a new purpose, he’s just not sure how to direct it, pouring his focus into his suit. He understood Obie’s contrivance towards his decision, knew the pressure that must be bearing down on him from the Board of Stuffy Old Men. It was Rhodey’s dismissal that hurt the most and there were still times when Tony selfishly wondered that if it came down to the military and him, which one Rhodes would choose.

“He worked hard to get to where he is, Stark, do not forsake him for his choices. Not all are born equal with the privilege to love as we choose.” Yinsen’s gentle reprimand broke his reverie.

Tony sighed, “Why can you not let me wallow in peace?”

“Because peace is something deserved by all.”

Tony still wasn’t entirely sure what he would do with the suit but with Yinsen’s quiet encouragement and winces with each injury (his glasses receive quite a polishing each time), he completed his project.

It seemed fitting that Obie’s betrayal was revealed to him at his own gala; the fire that was simmering inside him flashed into life, fueled by the images of Guimira on the news.

Yinsen stared in silence at the news, his wane sadness in contrast to Tony’s seething rage. Here is the man who saved him, watching his country and fellow people burn to the ground, while Tony sits in comfort, watching his community being torn apart. There was no judgement from Yinsen though, just deep-seated grief.

The words on the news dulled, the images became clearer, taking on a scarlet hue. Tony’s eyes drifted to the glass panels, reflecting the man before him, with all the comfort, privilege and wealth at his disposal. The world went mute before he came to, his thruster held upright, shattering the image.

The veil was lifted and a calm settled, displaying a plan he had all along. It wasn’t entirely well thought out but he has always been better on the go. He stepped back into the heart of his workshop, allowing his armours to surround him.

“What will you do?” Yinsen asked.

With complete clarity, Tony replied, “Make my legacy.”

~*~

_“I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."_

“You haven’t said anything,” Tony suddenly said, as if continuing with a previous conversation.

Lucy turned her head towards him from where she had face-planted into the couch cushion after a very long day in the clinic, and eyed him blearily, “Mmph?”

Tony stretched his arm out to encompass everything around him, with an emphasis on the suit he’s currently tinkering with. “Pepper almost walked out on me and Rhodey almost jumped into bed with me,” Lucy snorted amusedly, “But you have been suspiciously quiet.”

He grasped for words to express his understanding of what Lucy must have tried to convey to him all these years, the need to step foot into places she doesn’t need to be and not watch from the sidelines. Especially when they can make it better. The difference is, she was never responsible for the deaths and destruction out there…

Lucy sat up, all traces of sleep gone, and he saw the grief from the years on the field, when she would return and refuse to see anyone for weeks at a time.

“I don’t blame you,” she finally said.

“Don’t be stupid,” Tony said, more acrimoniously than intended. “Next thing you’ll say is that you don’t judge me either.”

“Oh don’t you worry, I definitely judge you but if it’s blame you’re after, I’m not going to give it to you.”

“But you’re not going to stop me either,”

“You never stopped me,”

Tony thought back to all those times that Lucy would take off to Sudan, Yemen, the Congos to name a few, with nothing but her scant material belongings, knowledge and the thin veil of protection given to all humanitarians. He recalled himself rolling his eyes at her saintliness whilst ignoring the apprehension gnawing at him, instead turning to Rhodey for whatever eyes in the sky he can afford him.

“I would hardly call this the same,”

“Isn’t it? Tell me you don’t see the world differently now that you know what’s really happening, that you’re not acting on that intent just to make it better.”

_“I had my eyes opened. I came to realise that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up.”_

Lucy looked smug and proud. “Apathy is a monster, and I think you may have slain it.”

Tony’s lips quirked, “Poetic,”

He turned back to his work, feeling strangely content, only to have a pillow smack him in the face, “Call me stupid again and I’ll fill Dum-EE’s fire extinguisher with whipped butter.”

~*~

_“I am Iron Man.”_

It was impulsive and reckless, but hell if it doesn’t feel good to own up to something he feels proud of for once.

Amongst the chaos of yelling reporters and flashing cameras, Yinsen stood unphased in the corner of the room. He offered a content smile and a small nod.

He disappeared.

Home.

**Author's Note:**

> This is what 'To See What You Are' was meant to be a part of, so that work will be deleted in the near future.
> 
> I'm choosing to have the events of Iron Man take place in 2008 (I know there's debate about it being in 2010) but 2008 makes sense to me. The displacement was due to the 2007 election in Kenya, with Lucy situated in Kibera.


End file.
